The Island's Kevin Le Blanc shot a one under 71 to move up to tied 13th with a round to go in the Youth Olympic Games in China with Royal County Down's Olivia Mehaffey also tied 13th in the women's event after a second round 75.

However, both are well off the pace set by Norway's Viktor Hovland and Lee Soyoung of Korea.

Hovland shot a second round 68 to by one stroke on eight under par going into the final round of the Men’s Individual Stroke Play with LeBlanc eight shots behind on level par.

In the Women’s Individual Stroke Play, Lee shot a four under 68 to lead by two shots on seven under with Mehaffey 11 shots back on four over after her second round.

LeBlanc carded two birdies and a bogey on the front nine to turn in one under, then added three bogeys and three birdies — including one at the 18th — on the back nine.

Hovland’s only bogey came on the first, his 10th, but his round was otherwise perfect with five birdies and 12 pars.

Thailand’s Danthai Boonma shot a two-under-par 70 to sit in Silver Medal position with a round to go. The 18-year-old, from Panya Indra Golf Club in Bangkok, started on the 10th and struggled with the greens during his front nine. 

He made birdies on the sixth and seventh holes (his 15th and 16th) to build on his opening round 67 and finish just one shot back of Hovland going into the final round with Australia's Brett Coletta (72) and Sweden's Marcus Kinhult (72) just two back on six under and Italy's Renato Paratore, the world No 6,  alone in fifth on five under after a best of the day 67.

Mehaffey, 16, birdied the fifth in her 75 but dropped shots at the first, sixth, eighth and 10th before finishing with eight consecutive pars.

Leader Lee, 17, completed a solid bogey-free round to finish two clear of Thailand’s Supamas Sangchan and Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Ssu-Chia who are tied for second place at Zhongshan International Golf Club.  

“I’m generally pretty happy with today,” said Lee. “I didn’t have any bogies.

“I wish to be the Youth Olympic Champion. I try not to think about winning and I will concentrate on every shot.  Then if luck is with me I hope I can win the Gold Medal.”

Men's Individual Stroke Play, Zhongshan |nt. Go|f C|ub (Par 72)

1 HOVLAND Viktor NOR 68 68 136 -8

2 BOONMA Danthai THA 67 70 137 -7

3 KINHULT Marcus SWE 66 72 138 -6

3 COLETTA Brett AUS 66 72 138 -6

5 PARATORE Renato ITA 72 67 139 -5

6 STIRN Zan Luka SLO 70 71 141 -3

7 GAREWAL Feroz IND 73 69 142 -2

7 COXON Nick NZL 71 71 142 -2

7 YU Chun-An TPE 69 73 142 -2

7 DOU Zecheng CHN 69 73 142 -2

11 CANTERO GUTIERREZ Ivan ESP 70 73 143 -1

11 YOUM Eun Ho KOR 72 71 143 -1

13 Le BLANC Kevin IRL 73 71 144 PAR

13 MACINTYRE Robert GBR 69 75 144 PAR

13 GIL Tony CAN 69 75 144 PAR

13 HUA Devin GUM 70 74 144 PAR

13 PULTZ PINNERUP AXE DEN 70 74 144 PAR

18 LINDELL Oliver FIN 73 72 145 +1

18 LOW Khai Jei MAS 71 74 145 +1

20 GARCIA Jorge VEN 73 73 146 +2

20 LIEBICH Jonas GER 69 77 146 +2

20 KEUNEN Lars NED 73 73 146 +2

20 ELISSALDE Paul FRA 69 77 146 +2

24 TERRAZAS MORALES Aaron MEX 73 78 151 +7

25 McCLATCHIE Kyle James RSA 81 73 154 +10

25 CABARCOS Marcos PAN 80 74 154 +10

27 de BONDT Alan BEL 77 78 155 +11

28 OKAZAKI Ren JPN 81 75 156 +12

29 LAM Lucas Chadwick HKG 79 81 160 +16

30 PENNINGTON James SWZ 77 95 172 +28

31 KIRIA Rayman Winston Nicolas COK 92 91 183 +39

32 SCHWAB Johannes AUT 100 93 193 +49

 

Women's Individual Stroke Play

1 LEE Soyoung KOR 69 68 137 -7

2 SANGCHAN Supamas THA 73 66 139 -5

2 CHENG Ssu-Chia TPE 69 70 139 -5

4 SHINOHARA Maria JPN 69 74 143 -1

4 ALVAREZ Julianne NZL 70 73 143 -1

6 ASHOK Aditi IND 74 70 144 PAR

6 CARTA Virginia Elena ITA 69 75 144 PAR

6 MERCHAN Maria Andreina VEN 71 73 144 PAR

9 COWAN Olivia GER 76 69 145 +1

9 VEYSSEYRE Marion FRA 71 74 145 +1

11 HARRYVAN Marit NED 71 75 146 +2

12 FASSI ALVAREZ Maria Jose MEX 72 75 147 +3

13 PEDERSEN Emily Kristine DEN 75 73 148 +4

13 SZERYK Madeline CAN 74 74 148 +4

13 MEICHTRY Azelia SUI 73 75 148 +4

13 TAM Kitty HKG 78 70 148 +4

13 MEHAFFEY Olivia IRL 73 75 148 +4

13 BELAC Ana SLO 76 72 148 +4

13 BARQUIN AROZAMENA Celia ESP 73 75 148 +4

13 STROM Linnea SWE 75 73 148 +4

21 AVELING Clara BEL 74 75 149 +5

22 NORDAAS Sandra NOR 73 77 150 +6

23 ELMASSIAN Elizabeth AUS 70 81 151 +7

24 SALONEN Sandra FIN 76 76 152 +8

25 KAN Kah Yan MAS 79 74 153 +9

25 GOICOECHEA RUIZ Sofia ARG 75 78 153 +9

27 ZEITLER Lea AUT 79 76 155 +11

28 VONGJALORN Nalathai GUM 81 78 159 +15

29 AKAMA Memory COK 88 94 182 +38

DQ TELFER Kaleigh Dene RSA 82 DSQ

WD KGOMO Nosimilo SWZ

WD DIMMOCKAnnabe| GBR